Need help with panic attacks!

[Molson]

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OP, how about talking to your doctor about Xanax? Used as needed, in low doses, it can work wonders. Don't be afraid to go the Rx route. If you have a serious problem, benzos can help -- and used as directed, you won't develop a dependency.

Paxil is garbage too. Get off that shit.

I feel you on the panic attacks too. They're no fun. I'd much rather pop a xanax, let it do it's thing, and deal with any future adverse effects when I cross that bridge. When you're in the moment, you'll do anything to get that shit outta your head.

Breathing does help, as said, but it'll take work. Focusing on breathing, and then still having your heart rate jacked 5 min later isn't very motivational.

Just remember, it's not the end of the world. You'll get through. And things will get better in time.

 

[Mitch Connor]

Awesome post de145.

I started looking for solutions to my panic attacks when I had my first one a couple years ago. I've been using a lot of the methods you've described and it's helped immensely. My triggers are confrontations with cops, and rapid changes in body temperatures right after smoking (going from inside a warm house to outside in -20 weather).

I need to reiterate the fact that meditation (what I've been practicing), or some other therapeutic/physical activity, can help get rid of anxiety issues altogether if used properly, and with enough repetition. I haven't had an attack in over 6 months. My first 2 being in 2008 during the winter, and my last one in May when I had to deal with cops in a sketchy scenario. Each one lasted no more than 2-3 minutes.

I thought I was going to have to deal with them at a steady pace, but looking for ways to fix it on my own gave me the confidence I needed to not have them anymore. Like you said, it's all in the head.

 

[Hammerhead]

Paxil or any of those SSRI are not normaly prescribed for Panic disorder those are for Depression.. You need a Anxiety medication like Xanax or Lorazepam,Valium. These are benzo's you need to be careful there are addictive.

 

[i grow]

Thanks for all the helpful words everyone.

 

[i grow]

Hi all just wanted to say after talking with you guys i got my dr to put me on lexapro and atavan as needed. i will say i am respnding wonderfully to the new med and am starting to feel myself again.
I went for a long walk today for the first time in months.

 

[Ur Humbl Nr8tor]

i grow, First off, been there friend and I know it is no fun. Finding the right green medicine is important when dealing with panic attacks. Paxil and other SSRI's can help with depression and anxiety, but I hear you, they are not fun drugs to mess around with. I prefer natural methods to managing panic. Good advice in this thread...Sleep, Exercise and generally Healthy Living. Meditation is also a big help. Might I also suggest one additional trick that has worked for me. It is a form of Cognitive Recognition to control behavior. Here's what you do.

First, get a fairly heavy duty rubber band and slid it around your wrist. Always wear it for at least a few weeks. If people ask why you have it on, tell them it helps to remind you of something you need to do that day. Second, whenever you feel the precurosor of a panic attack, pull that rubber band back and let it snap you on the wrist really good. You want their to be an actual physical pain response (as opposed to the mental pain response you feel while in an attack). You don't have to leave huge welts, but when I did it, It would leave a nice red mark for several minutes afterward. Important third step, as soon as you snap the band, repeat to yourself several times while the wrist is stinging, "this is only a concept in my mind. I am a fine and healthy adult with no known health problems" Now repeat until the sting starts to subside.

Do it every time a panic thought enters your mind. I found myself doing it multiple times a day at first. After a couple of weeks, I would just need to look at that rubberband and the fear would float away on the breeze. Won't say it will work for everyone, but it did wonders for me.

Good luck

 

[Hash Zeppelin]

herbal solutions other than weed.

Real Chamomile Tea. not that pre bagged cheap crap.
Saint John's Wart. (ask your doctor about this one though, not sure how it works with paxil.)

weed strain suggestion. original Hindu Kush

 

[de145]

First, get a fairly heavy duty rubber band and slid it around your wrist.

Very cool and interesting thing to try.

I've also read just recently in a book about Stoicism...

(Very interesting actually for anyone into practical philosophy: http://www.amazon.ca/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic/dp/0195374614)

...that Buddhists practice some kind of technique where they outwardly show all the exact opposite of whatever negative emotion they're feeling. So if they are angry they try to project love. Fear and anxiety I guess would be projecting tranquility and smiling.

The idea is that normally your mental state controls your physical state and appearance. But it also works in reverse. So if you're feeling anxiety coming on try smiling and looking relaxed and you might start to actually feel it. Haven't tried it but it sounds interesting.

 

[phan]

So much great advice in this thread. This is what makes this forum so powerful. As a panic attack sufferer myself, I always take interest in these topics. My two cents: I agree that in small doses an anti-anxiety medication (like Xanax) can be helpful while you get organized or to just control the immediate panic, tastes bad, but under the tongue can work quickly. This is a short term solution at best! But for me initially after my panic break through attacks, which were very intense and made it difficult to work, cope, etc. I felt better just with the xanax in my pocket. I knew I had it and I knew it would work IF I really needed it. Over time I didn't need it, but still take it with me in extreme anxiety producing situations, flying, large indoor concerts, etc.

But I also looked at my diet, cut out sugar (natural sugar included, no overripe bananas, mango, etc.) started to exercise, just walking at first and look very closely at my MJ strain choices. Haven't we all had to learn about the debilitating effects that a too powerful sativa dominant can have on panic. I started only medicating with known strains, even passing on the friendly offers of friends.

Combining all of these factors have helped, initial medication (pharm.) changing lifestyle, and reducing sativa influence in my MJ.
Peace.

 

[i grow]

Phan hi. does cutting out sugar help in some way with panic attacks?

 

[de145]

Phan hi. does cutting out sugar help in some way with panic attacks?

Yes, anything that induces a state of tranquility helps. Anxiety is more quickly triggered when you've experienced it recently so the longer you go without it the "rustier" the trigger gets and the harder it is to get it.

Sugar is a hell of a stimulant but most people don't realize it because they eat it so often they don't know what life is like without it.

My wife and I are just old enough and come from backgrounds where sugar was actually a rare treat for kids and when us kids were allowed to have a lot of sugar (like at a birthday party or halloween or something) we'd bounce off the walls and annoy the hell out of our parents and anyone around us. It was called "sugar fits" and you'd often hear parents saying things like "no sugar for you this late in the day or you'll never get to sleep". Nowadays kids eat so much sugar so regularly that people don't even remark on how hyper they are, it's accepted as normal.

Ideally you would want to cut out all high glycemic foods that make your blood sugar spike (like refined grains, starches, sugars etc) for a month then see what effect it has and slowly re-introduce them and see what the difference is.

I've been on a paleo diet which is very low glycemic for a long time now and Saturday is my cheat day so I can eat whatever I want. For a while I was on a sugar kick and would have a coffee crisp bar and I could literally feel my heart speeding up and my body temperature rise to the point I was sweating just sitting there from the huge dump of energy that came from the bar that my body didn't know what to do with. It burns through your system then you feel tremendously tired afterwards.

It really helps to keep a diary you can refer to and a site like the free fitday.com allows you to track not only what you eat but your mood and a lot of other stuff if you're into self experimentation.

Ideally you want to avoid all stimulants for a while, particularly caffeine which the very latest research has shown isn't an actual stimulant per-se it actually invokes the same areas of the brain that panic comes from which people experience as stimulating.

For a normal person it's like a thrill ride at an amusement park for someone with anxiety it's a very bad idea.

 

[phan]

Yes, it did for me absolutely, especially artificial sugar including high fructose corn syrup, I also cut out caffine and that helped as well, as others have mentioned combine that with exercise and lots of leafy green vegetables and you have a recipe for serious panic reduction. It also helped me reduce my amount of MMJ that was effective, in other words I used less felt it more and felt better.

 

[FlowerTops]

Some of the supplements I've tried for overall improvement of mood and anxiety are:

DHEA- this was the absolute best for me on all levels, no contest, geat with B vitamins high in B6...however I stoped taking it because I was scared off by possible side effects that I personally didn't notice at all. I was taking it for 3 months.

Phosphatidylserine- also a noticable improvement on mood. This with DHEA made me feel strong, horny, but calm and cool...the downside is this is expensive and only works at higher doses like 400mg.

5-HTP - this also helps with anxiety, but I didn't like it so much with weed. I felt it ruined my high. when taken together i found it harder to sleep and when I did sleep I experienced strong dreams. Normally I only get dreams when I start withdrawal from smoking, 5-htp did that while I was smoking which was weird. Also it clears the high up, and takes the nervous edge off.

I tried a bunch of other natural things too, but mostly you couldn't tell if they were helping or not.

-FT

 

[VenturaHwy]

First off by calling it a panic attack or anxiety that implies you are causing it. I'm not really sure what everyone here is calling a "panic attack" either. When a bear is chasing you with bad intentions most peoples heart will pound and race, perfectly normal.

When I was a kid when I'd play chess and knew I had the guy I was playing if he made the wrong move my heart would pound so loud I could hear it. That was not normal but it mainly happened under stress. I had that my entire childhood.... I would lay in bed with weird breathing also with no stress that was causing it. I call this level one adrenalin problems.

Level two -
This happened when I was in my latter fourties. No stress at all and I would lay in bed with a racing heart, not a chance in a million of falling asleep. I literally thought I was dying.... just as I would start to fall asleep a feeling as if you were falling out of tree (adrenaline surge) would happen. Then it went to my legs (intense restless legs) and it was OH MY GOD! The mental fog because of the sleeping problems was bad. I thought I was allergic to food, had no idea which food so I was afraid to eat. A good way to lose weight real fast. Level two lasted for about 3 years on and off, usually lasting about 3 or 4 days at a time. Also I started drinking large quantities of spring water at that time.

Level three -
All of the symptoms of level two but also throwing up every night at bedtime because the food I would eat would just sit in my stomach all night. Laying in bed for 9 hours without any chance of sleep at all, and this horrible feeling in my body from my brain down though my heart, down through my stomach and down into my legs (horrible restless legs, like someone shot adrenaline into the thighs). It seemed like my central nervous system was poisoned, the opposite of at peace.... It felt like I was literally dying. Also my heart would skip beats, you can feel it when taking your pulse and also in your heart.

Finally went to a primary doctor and he was clueless. I had him test me for diabetes, nothing.

Then when my heart was racing about 130 BPM I went to the emergency room. Diagnosis tachycardia, SVT I think. They gave me Atenolol 50 mg and every single symptom left. I didn't take it for the next 2 days and all of the symptoms came back, so I have to take it every day now or my heart rates start to climb. If I take the full 50 mg my heart rate drops to 50 bpm which is too slow. So I take a little more than half a pill, more if needed. Almost zero side effects and even the strongest weed doesn't make my heart race now....

Atenolol blocks adrenaline from affecting your heart (beta blocker), it also worked on all of the symptoms I mentioned.

 

[Trichromedout]

Beta-Blocker like Toprol is helpful as well, however, medications are just a temporary fix until more significant coping mechanisms can be fostered. I have experience with beta-blockers, Paxil, Klonapin, Xanax for anxiety and I would only recommend short term use of any of them especially any benzos. Breaking the circular thought pattern of mind stimulation triggering body sitmulation or vice-versa in repetition can be difficult but is absolutely possible with practice. Meds although effective for people with severe panic disorders are not a permanent solution for most of us. Learning healthy ways to deal with stress and mental strategies to thwart our snowballing anxiety driven thoughts are the way to go!
Sativas or Hybrids are better than Indicas for me personally. Not to much a fan of the shortness of breath and lack of energy with most heavy indicas.

 

[de145]

Sativas or Hybrids are better than Indicas for me personally. Not to much a fan of the shortness of breath and lack of energy with most heavy indicas.

Me too! Funny but a lot of people seem to be better off with Sativa's for anxiety. And also weird that you mention shortness of breath with heavy indica's I get that as well, always chalked it up to anxiety itself though. Maybe it relaxes us too much and we fight it causing the anxiety?

Everyone I know always says how relaxing the heavy indica's are and I find it the opposite most of the time but it always seems like I'm fighting it somehow.

 

[richyrich]

Xanax XR (extended release), a beta blocker such as norvasc or propanalol to block the physical symptoms on your heart (palpitations and racing), and a good indica strain to your preference. I know, I was awarded Social Security Disability just for panic disorder; that is how bad I have it.

 

[cali2]

I have..

 

[deidree barlow]

buspirone

buspirone

I was hoping i could get some advice from someone here about panic attacks.
My Dr has m on paxil to help curb these however i hate the way the pills make me feel.i was wondering if someone could recomend advice as to weather i should use an indica or what?
i have not smoked since these attacks have started controlling my life because i didnt know if it would have an adverse affect with the meds they have me on.
So my question is can i still smoke while on them,and what should i be smoking if anything at all.i want to ween myself off these pills,and feel myself again.
any help will be greatly appreciated.


Ig

MILD TRANQUILIZER

• buspirone (BuSpar) generalized anxiety, OCD, panic attacks,One small bit of advice i would like to give you is if you are on Benzos that really is a bad move,i have attacks not so many now and was prescribed diazepam"Valium"lamens terms,i went to the doctors about them and was sent to every head doctor in the buiss,and they prescribed me 100 mg of Valium a day as id had a problem with these before,believe, they will rid your anxietys to fill you with terror at every opputunity they can,any benzo s are highly dangerous as you build a tolerance then a bigger one that spirals out of control,and the reason i became addicted to them was the pure fact they took my ngtmares away,i never had ngt mares at ngt allways when i woke up and in the day,my demons haunted me while i was awake.My point is they do actually destroy anxiety within ten min to 20 mins,but please dont get suckered into any Benzo of any sort they highly Addictive and have a nasty cold turkey worse than heroin im told any way heed this advice ,i know what you goin through dont add to it please many thanks Deidree

 

[Nirvana_Papaya]

When I first started having panic attacks I was prescribed Propranolol. About a month into taking it, I noticed I was no longer sweating. I ended up quiting right away. It was in the middle of summer too, had to take cold showers quite often to lower my body temp. Also, if I missed taking it, I felt pretty sick, physically and mentally.

But I have weird reactions to many medications. Like when I take antihistamines, I feel this electrical kind of surge through my body, feels like waves. Makes it feel like I can't feel anything right afterwards...but I can. So hard to explain. Fun stuff.